Chapter 60

• "This book belongs to Annastasia Pierce, true high priestess. If you're reading this, it means I failed. I chose love over duty. I failed the world. If you’re holding this, you are a descendant of my bloodline—a woman who carries the mark of a true priestess. Within these pages lies my story, from self-discovery to ultimate failure. Most importantly, remember this: if all else fails, nature offers one way to prevent catastrophe. Kill your mates."
• I had read those words at least a hundred times. They haunted me. My hands trembled as I turned the journal over in my lap, fearing it held the key to my future. My grandmother’s journal terrified me more than anything else ever had.
• After the conversation with my mates, I couldn’t shake the sense that everything was unraveling. Desperation led me to the journal, and as instructed in the opening note, I prayed to the goddess for guidance before opening it. My grandmother Eloise had written that the goddess would guide me to the passages I needed most.